Nigel Farage has predicted that Ed Miliband’s drive to decarbonise electricity production will cause Labour more electoral damage than the numbers crossing the Channel.
Speaking on GB News Nigel Farage said: “We’re back to our old friend Ed Miliband. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed but a lot of very, very calm weather at the moment, hence the large number of channel crossings.
“A report out from the National Energy System Operator making very, very clear that when it comes to the plan for zero carbon electricity by 2030 the one thing we will need is gas.
“Even though gas, at the moment, is only 5% of our supply, there are days when the wind doesn’t blow it’s up to 50%.
“And there is a massive problem here, which is most of our gas plants are coming towards the end of their lives.
“Add to that, another report out saying that the only possible way we can get is if we start using less electricity. When they start to use demand pricing even more than they do now, or you simply can’t afford to put the lights on of an evening.
“And I’m going to argue that all of this is for the birds, because we’re actually not going to make the targets anyway.
“Our electricity bills are already, for our manufacturers, the most expensive in the world.
“I completely understand there are a majority of the country who are worried about the environment. A vast majority of the under forties really think global warming is a dreadful problem, but what Miliband is trying to do, it can’t be done, and it’s doing too much damage.
“Looking at the strike prices that have been done for the new offshore and onshore wind projects, I think electricity prices will be a lot higher in a few years.
“Ed Miliband’s ambitions are not even net – a zero carbon electricity system.
“I think that this policy is going to do Labour more damage even than the numbers crossing the English channel. That promise of cutting bills by £300 when probably they are going to go up a lot is going to cause huge, huge harm.
“Why are the government putting no new reinvestment into gas plants? That is the question that Miliband needs to answer.”
